Manufacture of pottery



. No. 622,746. Patented Apr. II, I899.

W. M. WOLCOTT.

' MANUFACTURE OF' POTTERY.

(Application filed Mar. 14, 1898.) v

2 Sheets-Sheet I.

(No Model.)

In: NORRI$ 5 mm; cc, FHDTO-UTHO., wumueran, u. c,

Patented Apr. ll, I899. W. M. WOLCOTT. MANUFACTURE 0F POTTERY.

(Application filed Max. 14, 1898.

2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(No Model.)

FIB.E.

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WILLIE M. WOLOOTT, or EAST LivnnrooL, on'ro.

MANUFACTURE or POTTERY;

semantics raining part of Letters Patent No. 622,7d6, dated April 1 1,1899.

Application filed March 14, 1898- .lo aZZ whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIE M. WoLoor'r, a citizen of the United States,residing at East Liverpool, in the county of Oolumbiana and State ofOhio, have invented or discovered certain new and useful lmprovements inthe Manufacture of Pottery, of which improvements the following is aspecification.

The invention described herein relates to certain improvements inmachines for the manufacture of articles of pottery, such as cups,bowls, &c. Although many attempts have heretofore been made for themanufac ture of such articles in presses, they have been unsuccessfulfor one reason or another, so that the old hand method is still almostuniversally used. The most general cause of failure is the adherence ofthe walls of the article to'the walls of the shaping-matrix, therebypreventing the separation of the articles from the walls of the matrixwithout injury.

The object of the presentinvention is to pro.- vide for a progressiveadmission of air to destroy the vacuum causing the adherence of thearticle to the matrix-walls and the successive removal of portions ofthe matrix, while maintaining a support for the article adjacent to theportions from which the mold is removed.

The invention is hereinafter more fully described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification,Figure 1 is a sectional elevation of my improved molding apparatus.Figs. 2 and 3 are sectional plan views, the plane of section beingindicated by the lines II II and III 111, respectively, of Fig. 1; andFig. 4 is a detail View showing the mechanism for locking the plunger inraised position.

In the practice of my invention suitablytempered clay is placed in thefeeding-cylinder 1 and is forced therefrom by a piston 2, through thenozzle 3, into a matrix formed by a sectional mold and a sectional core.The mold is formed in two or more sections 4:, hinged together andsupported by a suitable bed or table 5. The table and feed-cylinder arearranged in such relation to each other that when the mold-sections areclosed together they will inclose the nozzle 3 of the feed-cyh inder. Itis preferred to lock the mold'and Serial No- 678,74i9. (N0 model.)

ing-cylinder 8 is secured to the under side of the table with its axisin line with the axis of the opening through the table. The core, whichis adapted to be moved up and down in the guiding-cylinder, consists ofa series of concentric annular sections 9 9 9, &c., and.

a central core-section 10. The outer section 9 is secured at its lowerend to a follower 11, so as to be positively shifted thereby. Each ofthese sections is provided with an internal shoulder 12, formedrecessing the lower portions of each section and adapted to form abearing for the upper end of a spring 13,which bears at its lower endagainst a shoulder 14 in the lower end of the next adjacent section. Theseveral sections 9 9, the. are provided at their upper ends with seats15 15, 850., formed by internally beveling the ends of the sections, andthe internal sections 9 9 are provided with outwardly-projecting heads16 16", &c., having their under sides suitably shaped to closely Iitagainst the seats 15 15, &c. The core-section is provided with a conicalhead 10, adapted to fit upon the seat of the inclosing annular section.These heads are normally held in contact with their seats by the springs13 13, 850. Ordinarily the internal sections will be caused to move downwith the external section, or in due succession thereafter, by thesprings 13 13, 850., as they bear against the upper shoulder of onesection and the lower shoulder of the next section. In order to insurethe withdrawal of the internal sections in case of excessive adherenceto the internal wall of the article, each section is provided. with oneor more pins 17 17, &c., the ends of which project into elongatedrecesses or slots in the next adjacent section. These recesses or slotsare made of such a length as to permit sufficient independent movementof each section to slightly separate the heads 16 16", 8rd, from theirseats. While it is preferred to employ springs to hold the heads 16,&c., against their seats,it will be readily understood that the weightof the internal sections will generally insure the proper seating of theheads.

The follower 11 can be pulled down to remove the core from the articleby a treadle or other suitable mechanism connected to the rod 11. Inorder to hold the core in operative position within the mold, a ring 18is arranged outside of the guide-cylinder and is erly-tempered clay isthen forced into the shaping-matrix. The meeting faces of themold-section are provided with small grooves to permit of the escape ofair while the clay is being forced into the matrix and for the admissionof air to destroy the vacuum between the walls of the mold and thearticle, so that the former may be moved away from the article withoutinjury to the latter. After the mold-sections have been opened thefollower 11 is lowered to withdraw the core from the article, which issupported by the flange 7. As the operative face of the section 9 isapproximately parallel with the direction it is moved in being Withdrawnfrom the mold, there will be little or no resistance to its movement,and therefore little or no liability of injuring the article. Thismovement of the section 9 shifts the seat 15 away from the head 16 ofthe next section, thereby admitting air to destroy the vacuum betweenthe head 16 and the walls of the article; The walls of the annularsections are grooved or the sections fit loosely one within the other topermit the inflow of air. As the section is moved down a short distanceit will exert adownward pull on the next section 9,operatingeitherthrough the spring 13 or the pin 17. The withdrawal of the-section 9admits air around the next section to destroy its adherence to thearticle. The sections are withdrawn in succession in the same manner,air being admitted around each section before any downward movement isimparted to it. It will be observed that as each section is withdrawnthe adjacent inner section will support the portion of the Wall of thearticle adjoining that from which a section of the core is beingdetached. After all the sections of the core have been removed thearticle is detached by a knife from the material in the neck 3 andremoved.

It is characteristic of my invention that the walls of theshaping-matrix are formed by a mold and core each consisting of sectionscapable of independent movement from the shaped article, so thatsections of such walls will support'the article while other sections arebeing detached, and that the matrix is combined with means to force thematerial thereinto. It is also characteristic of my improvement thatsuch section when moved will afford a vent for the admission of air todestroy the vacuum between the article and the next section.

I claim herein as my inventions- 1. In an apparatus for the manufactureof articles from plastic material, a matrix consisting of a mold andcore having their walls formed of a series of sections independentlymovable away from the molded article, in combination with means forforcing the plastic material into the matrix, substantially as setforth.

2. In an apparatus for the manufacture of articles from plasticmaterial, the combina tion of a sectional mold, a core formed of aseries of independentlymovable sections, and means for forcing theplastic material into the matrix formed by the mold and core,substantially as set forth.

3. In an apparatus for the manufacture of articles from plasticmaterial, the combina tion of a mold, a core consisting of a series ofindependently-movable sections springs arranged to shift the sections topositions where their operative faces form the contour of one of thefaces of the article to be shaped and meansfor withdrawing the sectionsin snc-= cession from the outer section inwardly, substantially as setforth.

4. In an apparatus for the manufacture of articles from plasticmaterial, the combination of a mold, a core consisting of a series ofindependently-movable sections having their upper ends constructed toform a close joint adjacent to their shaping-walls, springs arranged toshift the sections to positions where their operative faces form thecontour of one of the faces of the article to be shaped and means forwithdrawing the sections in sue cession, substantially as set forth.

5. In an apparatus for the manufacture of articles from plasticmaterial, the combina tion of a mold, a follower, an annularcorese'ction attached to the follower, a series of core-sectionsinterlocking with each other and with the sections connected to thefollower in such manner that the outer sections sup port the adjacentinner sections in positions where their operative faces form the contoura series of intermediate core-sections, each provided at its outer endwith ahead over lapping an adjacent outer section, and means for lockingthe outer section in operative position, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

WVILLIE M. WVOLGOTT,

Witnesses:

D. 0. HUGHES, W. A. HOLT.

